House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declined to answer when asked on Tuesday whether Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., is a man or woman, but the speaker later made a statement in which he declared, "A man cannot become a woman."
McBride, a Delaware state senator who identifies as transgender, won election to the U.S. House of Representatives this year and will become the first openly transgender member of Congress after being sworn in next year.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who has called McBride a "biological male," is pushing a resolution to block House members and others from using single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House office buildings that do not correspond with their biological sex.
"A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House may not use a single-sex facility (including a restroom, changing room, or locker room) in the Capitol or House Office Buildings, other than those corresponding to the biological sex of such individual," the resolution states, noting that the House sergeant-at-arms would be tasked with enforcement.
When asked on Tuesday whether McBride is a man or a woman, Johnson declined to answer the question, saying, "I'm not gonna get in to this."
Johnson said that everyone would be treated with dignity and respect.
Later, Johnson made a statement of clarification in which he said he had rejected the question's "premise because the answer is … so obvious."
"A man is a man. And a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman," Johnson declared.
"But I also believe that we treat everybody with dignity," he said.
MACE FACES BACKLASH OVER EFFORT TO BAN NEW TRANSGENDER MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM WOMEN'S BATHROOMS
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"Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness," McBride posted on Monday.
"This is a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing. We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars. Delawareans sent me here to make the American dream more affordable and accessible and that’s what I’m focused on," the incoming House lawmaker added in another post on X.
